Website Update for December, 2015 Polk County Farm Bureau committee chairs named The 2015-2016 Polk County Farm Bureau Committee Chairs were recently named. They are: Ag in the Classroom, Gretchen Voga, Coordinator; County Action, Legislative/National Affairs, Policy Development, Cris Friedrickson, Chair, Roger Spahr, Tom Towers, Maurice Moeckly, Mike Ugulini, Steve Lee and Carol Miller; Public Relations, Roger Spahr, Tom Towers, Candice Engler, Steve Lee, and Gary Beattie; Young Farmer Chair, Candice Engler; and Scholarship Committee: Roger Spahr, Roger Bak, Tom Towers, Cris Friedrickson, Mike Ugulini and Carol Miller. The Ag in the Classroom committee works to educate youth and adults on the importance of Agriculture in our lives. County Action keeps the board abreast of county issues and finances along with a working relationship with our county leaders. Legislative/National Affairs is always busy keeping Ag issues in front of our local, state and national leaders. They also host meetings for and with our legislators to keep our members up to date on issues. Policy Development is our grassroots tradition. We ask our members for their input on issues pertinent to the Ag industry, our communities, county, state and nation. It is YOUR voices that set Farm Bureau policies. Public Relations works to project a positive image of Farm Bureau with programs, activities and advertisements. The Scholarship committee offers local youth the opportunity to receive a scholarship toward their college education. The Young Farmer Committee wants to help our young farmers network with other young farmers throughout the state and host activities pertinent to young farmers. If not for the work of our volunteers Farm Bureau would not be the successful voice of agriculture it is. If you have an interest in any of these committees we are always looking for fresh faces and ideas. You do not have to be a board member to serve on a committee. If you have an interest in any of the committees, please contact the committee chair or the Ankeny office at 515-964-5354. Polk County Farm Bureau Response team named Seven Polk County Farm Bureau leaders volunteered to serve on the 2015-2016 FB Response Team. The team includes: Gary Beattie, Ted Bishop, Grant Kimberley, Steven Lee, Carol Miller, Brad Moeckly, and Todd Volz. Iowa Farm Bureau s success in policy implementation hinges on the efforts of its individual members communicating with our legislators. These team members will participate in call-to-action requests via the internet. The board would like to thank these volunteers. Teacher Supplement Grants available The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation in partnership with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is offering grants up to $200 to support the integration of agriculture into regular classroom instruction or after school programs. Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher Supplement Grants are designed to initiate new projects or expand existing projects that promote agriculture literacy. Grants can be used to fund innovative lessons, activities, classroom resources, guest speakers, outreach programs, field trips and other projects. 1 P a g e
The 2016 grant program focuses on Literacy/Language Arts and 21st Century Skills and will only fund projects relating to these curriculum areas. The focus of the grant changes each year, to allow a variety of projects to receive funding. Grant applications must be submitted electronically by Jan. 10, 2016. The online application is available at https://app.wizehive.com/appform/login/ialf_tsg_2015. Please read all application guidelines carefully before applying. The application process and guidelines have changed. Encourage family and friends to become a member of Farm Bureau today If you know your friend or someone in your family is not a Farm Bureau member, cut out this article and encourage them to join today. Joining is easy and membership contains many benefits including the weekly edition of the Spokesman newspaper. Becoming a member of the Polk County Farm Bureau is a simple yet powerful way to put your support squarely behind the wholesome American farmers who produce your family s food, fiber and energy. Whether you re a Farm Bureau member or not, our work touches you in some way. But as a member, you have an opportunity to reap much more, including an impressive array of membership benefits. There are discounts available exclusively to Farm Bureau members on Morton Buildings ranging from $500 to $1,000; Grainger IH rebates; farm management support; free exchange ads printed in the Spokesman; and many more discounts such as Stroke Detection Plus savings of $35 on four life-saving screenings; discounts of over $800 from Wolfe Eye Clinic on LASIK eye surgery; $500 bonus cash from Ford Motor Company on the purchase or lease of new qualifying Ford and Lincoln vehicles; and so much more! You can join us for just $35 per year. Join today. Call the Polk County Farm Bureau office at 515-964-5354 or stop at the office 300 SE Delaware Ave. in Ankeny. Upcoming Legislative Breakfast planned Polk County Farm Bureau legislative committee will be holding a breakfast meeting with the State Representatives and Senators on Monday, Dec.14th at 7:30 a.m. at the county office. If you would like to attend this breakfast, please contact the county office at 515-964-5354 or email: jan.whaley@ifbf.org. Spokesman holiday break approaching The Spokesman will soon be taking its end of the year holiday break and will not contain county pages or exchange ads during the weeks of Dec. 23 and Dec. 30. The Dec. 30 issue will be the annual Farm Bureau membership supplement. Please look for your regular Spokesman to return to your mailbox during the week of Jan. 6, 2016. 2 P a g e
Save the date for Young Farmer Conference Please make plans to come to Des Moines for the annual Young Farmer Conference, January 29-30! The theme this year is Ignite the Flame and will focus on what young farmers need to know to stay passionate and successful throughout their careers. This conference is one way that Farm Bureau is supporting young farmers in agriculture. After reviewing the enclosed agenda, we are confident that you will want to participate in this event that is specifically designed for young farmers. One of the key benefits is the connections you will make with other young farmers to grow your ag network. Featured speakers Keni Thomas, former U.S. Army Ranger and Drew Hastings, agriculture comedian will inspire and keep you on your toes. The many breakout sessions address a variety of issues related to business, technology and advocacy. We have added sessions specifically for livestock, based on past conference evaluations. Industry tours to those who can make it on Friday afternoon. Space is limited, so register now! Tours are offered on a first come, first serve basis. You will also have an opportunity to participate in the 2016 Discussion Meet sponsored by John Deere. The Discussion Meet gives you the opportunity to exchange ideas and information about critical issues while developing the essential skills of issue analysis, problem solving and presenting your ideas. The top eight contestants will advance to the state finals at the 2016 IFBF Annual Meeting in December and compete for a John Deere x320 riding lawn mower and a trip to the 2017 AFBF Annual Convention in Phoenix, as well as other prizes from our sponsors. We hope to see you at the Young Farmer Conference in Des Moines! Contact your county Farm Bureau at 515-964-5354 or email: jan.whaley@ifbf.org before January 15 to register. Generation Next will provide daycare at the hotel for children 6 weeks to 6 years, and additional activities for children ages 7 to 13. Please register soon childcare space is limited. Farm Strong and ANF apparel are great gift ideas Farming may look different today than in the past, but the values that make Iowa farmers who they are - hard work, commitment, integrity - have not changed. Those are the same characteristics shared by many Iowans. The Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa State Cyclones and University of Iowa Hawkeyes are proud to celebrate farmers and all Iowans who summon the strength to do more, be more. Those individuals who don t have an ounce of quit in them. Right now, millions of Americans and nearly 1 in 8 Iowans are struggling with hunger. With your purchase of an ISU/Farm Strong item, or ANF/University of Iowa item, a percentage of the proceeds will go to fight hunger relief across Iowa. You can purchase your item of choice two ways: 1) Go to iowafarmbureau.com, Click the Login tab (on the top right side of the page), Login with your username and password, Click on the tab "Member Benefits," then click on "Special Offers" (left side, sixth tab down) you are then ready to purchase your item of choice; 2) If 3 P a g e
you prefer to order over the phone, you can call Doerrfeld Promotions at 515-276-5261 for your ISU Farmstrong items or Bravo Sports Marketing at 319-626-8286 for your ANF items. Polk County Farm Bureau members attend District 5 Legislative training (Picture is of Tom Towers, Randy & Carol Miller attending Legislative Training) Ninety three (93) Iowa Farm Bureau members attended the District 5 Legislative meeting held Tuesday, November 17 th at The Chateau at White Oak Vineyards near Cambridge. The members were briefed on key policy issues by Iowa Farm Bureau State Policy Advisor Matt Steinfeldt. Issues ranged from the state budget, to funding for Iowa s roads. This meeting plays an important part in Farm Bureau s Grassroots Policy Development process, as county leaders will discuss these issues with state legislators throughout the upcoming legislative session. Attending the meeting from Polk County Farm Bureau were Brad & Joyce Moeckly, Mike & Sue Ugulini, Maurice & Esther Moeckly, Roger & Sandy Spahr, Steve Lee, Cris Friedrickson, Tom Towers, Randy and Carol Miller. For more information on policy development or an issue that may be important to you please call Polk County Farm Bureau office at 515-964-5354 or email: polk.county@ifbf.org. 4 P a g e
Holiday closings Polk County Farm Bureau and Farm Bureau Financial Services would like to remind members of the closing of the Farm Bureau offices in Ankeny, Des Moines and West Des Moines on Thursday, Dec. 24 th and Friday, Dec. 25 th in observance of the Christmas holiday. We will re-open for business on Monday, Dec. 28 at 8:00 a.m. The Farm Bureau offices in Ankeny, Des Moines and West Des Moines will be closed on Friday, January 1, 2016 for the New Year s holiday. We will re-open for business on Monday, January 4 th at 8:00 a.m. Have a great holiday season with your families! 5 P a g e